Earthquakes in Italy and Austria.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 6, Issue 40, 25 June 1895, Page 3

Earthquakes in Italy and Austria.

Several earthquake shocks visited Austria and several parts of Italy on the night of Sunday, April 14, causing widespread panic and destruction. The disturbance affected au area of over 300 miles, roughly speaking, from Ferrar to Vieuna. The " seismic focus" is described as having been a triangle, which is formed by Trieste, Fiume, and Laibach. The shocks came in sudden succession. The earth seemed to sway, or as some reports say, whirl. Buildings rocked, cracked, and fell. Railway trains were shaken almost off their lines. The only meteorological institute in Austria which recorded exact observations on Sunday night was the Naval Academy in Fiume. According to the figures it publishes, the first shock lasted sixty-five seconds; the second, five ; the third and fourth, three seconds ; the fifth, forty seconds; the sixth and seventh, fifteen seconds; the ninth and tenth, five seconds; the eleventh, eight seconds. Reports of inexperienced observers gave the maximum durations as twenty-five seconds, aud instead of the eleven shocks registered in Fiume, they asserted that no less than thirty-one, of which the first was strongest, were felt in Laibach between half-past eleven and about seven o'clock in the morning.

Considering the extent and severity of the shocks, the loss of life has been remarkably small, not more than about a dozen persons having been killed throughout Austria. Telegrams have been received from all parts of the southern provinces describing the great damage done. At Laibach, where further slighc shocks were felt on Monday and Tuesday, two persons were killed, and ten others severely injured. In the vicinity of Laibach seven other persons were killed, while three children lost their lives at Bodica.

According to observations made at the Maine Observatory at Pola, the seismic vibrations were preceeded for two days by a rapid fall of the barometer, by a hurricane of wind, by a bore on tlio iiscoiuii g .scu, find by ti fall of iht IhetnujiJiOivr. Four suveio

shocks were observed, at seventeen minutes past eleven p.m., at twentyfive minutes past four a.m., and at I seven a.m. According to the observations made at the Marine Academy, there were eleven shocks at Finnic-. The first lasted sixty-five and the la-it forty seconds. It is feared that the disturbances will cause the extensive caverns in the district of Karst to collapse. The inhabitants of several (owns of Carniola spent the night in the open air. Venice was the scene of a panic, and the Square of St Mark was filled with tents, where the people passed the night. The public gardens were crowded with inhabitants, who were afraid to sleep in their houses. There were renewed shocks of earthquake at Laibach and Trieste early on Wednesday morning, but not much damage done. The distress at Laibach is very great.